The United States Postal Service (USPS) operates a national network of hundreds of major mail Processing and Distribution Centers (P&DCs) that process and forward mail pieces toward the destination address. The P&DCs process a tremendous volume of mail that may include hundreds of millions of letters and packages per day. The P&DCs employ automated processing equipment in the form of optical character readers, automated facer-cancellers, barcode sorters, and material handling systems. As a machineable mail piece is automatically processed in the P&DC national network, the destination barcode is used when the P&DC in possession of the mail piece decides where to send it next. The network is complex and the time required to deliver two different mail pieces may vary fairly significantly. United States Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0080660A1 entitled “System and Method for Optimizing Equipment Schedules,” by deSilva, et al, published Apr. 14, 2005, generally describes USPS P&DC systems for sorting and processing mail and is incorporated herein by reference.
Since the processing requires tremendous resources, Commercial Posts and private carriers frequently provide discounts to mailers who presort mail to reduce the work required of the postal authority (Work Sharing). The discounts vary from country to country and are often dependent upon the level of presort. The more specifically the mail has been sorted in relation to delivery by the Post or carrier, the greater the discount. The United States Postal Service (USPS) has utilized one-dimensional (ID) barcodes known as the POSTNET code and the PLANETCODE. The POSTNET code provides delivery destination information such as an 11-digit ZIP code and the POSTNET code provides certain tracking related data. More recently the USPS has also used a 4-state barcode known as the ONECODE that combines certain delivery and tracking data into one barcode.
The USPS utilizes a class based pricing scheme that is not based upon delivery distance. One of the better known services is FIRST CLASS letter delivery service. FIRST CLASS Mail is said to receive expeditious handling and transportation. The stated service objectives for delivery are 1 to 3 days, but the delivery time is not guaranteed. STANDARD MAIL is available for some bulk mailings and provides for relatively lower cost delivery. Additionally, STANDARD MAIL letters may receive deferred handling. The stated service objectives for delivery are 2 to 9 days, but the delivery time is not guaranteed. Since there is no delivery guarantee, there is no mechanism to schedule or charge a premium fee for delivery on a particular day.
The USPS operates over 600 mail processing systems in the United States. Such centers may use the Delivery Barcode Sorter Input/Output Sub-System (DIOSS) and Integrated Data System (IDS) to sort mail using destination delivery codes such as the POSTNET barcode. Mail sorting equipment may utilize multiple pass sorting and may entail mail waiting for processing through the sorting equipment. There is no system in place to flag mail pieces that have been in the P&DC network for a relatively long period so that such mail pieces might be out-sorted for special processing.
United States Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0131378A1 entitled “Method for enhancing mail piece processing system,” by Baker et al., published Jun. 22, 2006, describes systems for sorting and processing mail using certain printed codes such as the POSTNET and PLANETCODE barcodes and is incorporated herein by reference. However, traditional POSTNET codes are marked using traditional ink that is used to print static information.
Accordingly, there are needs for improvement including the need to provide for more effective and efficient processing of mail.